At Matt Fendon Law Group, we fight for injured workers at every stage of their case. Sometimes that fight continues long after benefits are first awarded. When an employer or insurance carrier refuses to accept responsibility, they can appeal and force an injured worker to defend a win he has already earned.
We recently stood with one of our clients through exactly that kind of battle, and the Arizona Court of Appeals affirmed his right to workers’ compensation benefits.
A Dedicated Employee Hurt on the Job
Our client, Michael Wallace, worked as an assistant warden at the Central Arizona Correctional Complex in Florence, which is operated by CoreCivic. Like other senior officers, he took weekly rotations as the facility’s Administrative Duty Officer, or ADO. That role kept him on call 24 hours a day. He was responsible for responding to emergencies at any hour and for traveling across the state to check on inmates who were hospitalized at off-site facilities. Travel was a central part of his job.
On March 29, 2024, Mr. Wallace was serving as the assigned ADO. He spent the day visiting hospitals, attended a required community service event, and then set out for one final hospital check.
As he drove, his company-issued phone slipped to the floorboard, and an alert came in. He believed it was a work message about an inmate who had been harming himself. When he reached for the phone, he lost control of his vehicle and rolled off the road. The crash severed his spinal cord and left him quadriplegic.
When the Insurance Company Said No
Mr. Wallace did what any injured worker should do. He filed a claim for workers’ compensation. CoreCivic and its insurance carrier denied it.
The carrier’s argument came down to a technicality. As it turned out, there was no inmate to check on at the hospital that day, because the last one had been discharged days earlier. The employer argued that since the trip was unnecessary in hindsight, Mr. Wallace was not really working when he was hurt.
An Administrative Law Judge with the Industrial Commission of Arizona rejected that argument.
After hearing testimony, the judge found that Mr. Wallace credibly believed he was traveling to the hospital to perform a work duty, and that his honest mistake about where an inmate was located did not change the fact that he was on the job. The judge ruled the injury compensable. When the employer asked the judge to reconsider, the award was affirmed again.
The Appeal, and the Win
CoreCivic and its carrier were unwilling to accept that outcome and took the case to the Arizona Court of Appeals. They argued that Mr. Wallace was not injured in the course of his employment and that the judge had wrongly given him the benefit of the doubt.
On June 16, 2026, the Court of Appeals affirmed the award in full.
The Court’s reasoning reflects core principles of Arizona workers’ compensation law. Because travel was an essential part of Mr. Wallace’s ADO duties, he was a traveling employee. That means he stayed within the course of his employment throughout his travel unless he made a distinct, substantial departure for a personal errand. He never did. He had no personal reason to be on that road. He was there for work.
The Court also reaffirmed that Arizona’s workers’ compensation system is a no-fault system. Denying benefits simply because an employee was mistaken about where he needed to go would improperly inject fault into a system built to protect injured workers regardless of blame.
And because the judge who heard the testimony found Mr. Wallace credible, the appellate court deferred to that finding. His supervisor testified that he was honest and truthful, and no one disputed that he had no personal reason for the trip.
What This Case Means for Injured Arizona Workers
There are a few important lessons here for anyone hurt on the job in Arizona.
If your job requires you to be on the road, an injury during that travel is generally covered, even if you were not performing a specific task at the exact moment you were hurt. An honest mistake does not cost you your benefits because workers’ compensation is a no-fault system, and being wrong about a detail of your assignment does not push you outside the course of your employment.
And a denial is not the end of the road.
Carriers deny valid claims, and they sometimes appeal even after they lose, so having an experienced advocate matters at every stage.
Matt Fendon Law Group is Here to Fight for You
No injured worker should have to face an insurance company’s appeal alone, especially while recovering from a life-altering injury. We are proud to have helped secure and defend the benefits our client deserved.
If your workers’ compensation claim has been denied, or if you are facing an appeal, our team is ready to stand with you.
Call us today at (800) 229-3880 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.
